Dean Crady's New Alcohol Management Program
Monday, August 11, 2008
Editor’s Note: The Dartmouth Review recently received a document outlining Dean Crady’s new alcohol policy from a well-placed individual. The new policy will be made public during the upcoming fall term. The document we received is printed below in its entirety.
Best Practices
The “Best Practices” listed below were designed to assist sponsors develop internal management practices regarding the provision of alcohol at various type events. These items focus upon health and safety matters at events where alcohol is present and not on general issues regarding the management of facilities or events. Those issues should be discussed with your advisors, class deans or recognizing department.
Sponsor Duties & Responsibilities
• Sponsors are responsible for the entire event, they should be present at all times during the event and are responsible for assigning duties to the monitors, servers and others who are working to ensure a successful event.
• Sponsors are responsible for resolving problems that arise during the social event, including those at the entrance, exits, and serving area.
• Sponsors are responsible for managing an event in such a way that surrounding area residents, both members of the Dartmouth and Hanover communities, are not disturbed or disrespected by the event or attendees coming or leaving the event.
• Sponsors must be actively enrolled Dartmouth students who are at least 18 years old.
• Sponsors are listed on the registration or notification information and are easily identifiable during the social event.
• Sponsors should not consume alcohol or be under the influence of any other substances during the event.
• Sponsors should receive training regarding their role. One source of training is the Dartmouth College Sponsor, Monitor, and Server Workshop. (aka “AMP Training”).
Monitor Duties & Responsibilities
• Monitors are usually Dartmouth College students who are supervised and assigned duties by the sponsor.
• Monitors provide a safety net at the event for all guests. They should intervene if behavior creates a less than safe or hostile environment. They also provide a safety-net for those who may be feeling the adverse affect of having consumed too much alcohol and are in the best position to provide assistance and to call for a “Good Sam”.
• Monitors typically work at the entrance door, exits, circulate through the event, or other locations at the direction of the sponsor to ensure the safety of guests, security of the facility, and compliance with applicable procedures and regulations.
• Monitors should not consume alcohol or be under the influence of any other substances while monitoring the event.
• Monitors should receive training regarding their role. One source of training is the Dartmouth College Sponsor, Monitor, and Server Workshop. (aka “AMP Training”).
Server Duties & Responsibilities
• Servers are usually Dartmouth College students who are supervised and assigned duties by the sponsor. The server should be expected to responsibly dispense, distribute or otherwise provide alcohol to an individual who is not visibly intoxicated.
• Servers must be 18 years of age to serve alcohol according to New Hampshire law.
• Servers should not consume alcohol or be under the influence of any other substances while serving alcohol at the event.
• Dartmouth College maintains a list of approved caterers with a valid New Hampshire liquor license. These caterers may be hired as servers.
• Servers should receive training regarding their role. One source of training is the Dartmouth College Sponsor, Monitor, and Server Workshop. (aka “AMP Training”).
Alcohol Management
• Alcohol should not be the primary focus of the social event.
• Invitations, posters, and other event publicity may include reference to alcohol being served but alcohol should not be the focus of the publicity.
• Drinks should be measured, poured, and mixed in view of the individual who is being served the drink.
• Guests should not be permitted to bring alcohol into an event.
• Any alcohol that is present before, during, and after the social event must be secured in a manner so that access is limited to hosts and/or servers. No alcohol may be placed in a location where guests may serve themselves.
• Clearly defined start and end times for alcohol service should be posted.
• Alcohol should be distributed from one designated serving area that is attended by servers throughout the duration of the social event.
• To protect their guests, sponsors should ensure that open containers of alcoholic beverages are not permitted to leave the social event.
• The sponsors will ensure that all those attending the social event present proof of legal age (legal ID with a date of birth) in order to consume alcoholic beverages.
• Some form of identification should be used to identify those who are of legal age to consume alcoholic beverages. Wristbands work well for this purpose. The College will provide wristbands to all sponsors if requested.
• Clearly posted signs listing guest expectations may assist in managing guests. Several examples: We only serve those 21 and older; We don’t serve intoxicated individuals; and, You are our guest respect the property.
• Servers should have a duty shift of at least one hour. The longer the shift the better able the server is to identify those individuals who should not be served since they know how much and who they have served previously.
• There should be sufficient servers to provide service to the guests, to check for age and level of intoxication. In most instances, at least two servers should be working at one time.
• Quick Reference for Calculating Servings:
1. Calculate the possible number of servings
(# of anticipated drinkers) X (# of hours of Event) = # of servings
2. Determine quantity necessary to accommodate # of servings.
• Quick Reference: Containers of Servings:
1 Keg = 150 servings of Beer
1 Bottle (liter) of wine = 6 servings of wine
1 Gallon = 128 Ounces
1 Liter = 33.8 ounces
• Quick Reference: Individual Servings
1 Serving =12 ounces of beer (non “ice” beer) or 5 ounces of wine or 1 ounce of distilled 80 proof spirits or hard liquor.
• Many students who attend an event do not want to drink alcohol or to drink alcohol for the duration of the event. As a result, non-alcoholic beverages are required. Beverages other than water should be offered. Sponsors want all guests to have an enjoyable time. Sponsors will likely spend a great deal of money ensuring that those who choose to drink are provided for. Those who choose not to drink should be provided reasonable alternatives such as coke, ginger ale, or bottled juices.
• The consumption of food and snacks during an event helps to slow the absorption of alcohol by guests. In addition, providing food and snacks demonstrates that you want your guests to have a good time. The provision of food or snacks does not need to be cost prohibitive. Popcorn can be made throughout the event and placed in locations at the facility relatively inexpensively. Other opportunities can be found by purchasing bulk quantities of pretzels, chips and other items. Some events, such as a cocktail party may call for a special type of food or snack.
• Sponsors and monitors should walk around the facility to ensure that guest are respecting facility property and to identify those individuals who have had too much to drink, assess their level of intoxication and call for assistance to ensure the safety of the guests.
• Drinking games by design encourage those participating to consume alcohol in a fairly rapid manner. While drinking games are not prohibited, attention should be paid to ensure that participants do not become intoxicated.
• Caterers/ Third Party Vendors: Sponsors may contract the assistance of a College approved caterer with a valid New Hampshire liquor license to serve alcohol. The caterer must assume in writing all the responsibilities that any other purveyor of alcoholic beverages would assume in the normal course of business, including but not limited to:
• Checking identification cards;
• Not serving minors;
• Maintaining absolute control of all alcoholic containers present;
• Collecting all remaining alcohol at the end of a function (no excess alcohol, open or unopened, is to be given, sold or furnished to host or sponsoring organization or attendees); and
• Vendors must remove all alcohol from premises.
• A list of College approved caterers is available on the Conferences and Special Events blitz bulletin board.
Facility Management
• Actual or anticipated social event attendance should not exceed one and a half times the fire code capacity of the event location/facility over the duration of the social event. The number of individuals permitted at a social event should not at any time exceed the legal limit established by fire safety codes.
• One main entry point should be designated for the event.
• Other access or exit points should be monitored to ensure that only those who the sponsor wishes to attend are allowed access to the event.
• Monitors should be present at the entry point to control access to the event for capacity compliance, allowing only those welcome to attend to enter, to verify identification and to identify those of appropriate age to consume alcohol.
• Normally at least two individuals should be working the entry door at any time. More may be necessary depending upon the nature of the event.
• Guests of friends of community members should be identified and if allowed to enter a list should be maintained including the guests name and who from the Dartmouth community they are with in case the need arises to assist the individual.
• Some guests desiring entry may already be intoxicated and should be denied access. These individuals may need assistance and Safety and Security should be called under the “Good Sam Program” to ensure that they are appropriately cared for.
• Any time a large group of individuals gathers in one place it is important to ensure that in the event of an emergency all in attendance can quickly exit the facility. Sponsors and monitors should ensure during the event that nothing is blocking the hallways, stairs or exits.
• For some events, hiring an individual to assist with monitoring the door may be useful. Safety and Security can provide assistance in securing an individual to perform this function.
Off Campus Events with Alcohol
• Many organizations host events such as “Formals” in locations outside of their organizational facility. Most of these events tend to be held in locations not affiliated with Dartmouth. As a result, additional planning may be necessary to ensure a safe event.
• Most events held off campus involve a contractual relationship with a vendor/provider of the facility. Understanding and complying with all terms of the contract are important to the success of the event.
• In most circumstances, the owner/operator of the location will have specific guidelines regarding the serving of alcohol at the event and will also impose some restrictions upon the attendees of the event. Those restrictions might include:
• Only those 21 years of age or older will be provided alcohol
• No alcohol may be brought into the facility by any person attending the event
• Any person who is visibly intoxicated will not be allowed in the event
• The owner/operator may require some person to be hired as a security officer to monitor the event and to control access at the door to prevent those already intoxicated from gaining entry or to prevent alcohol from being brought into the facility.
• Based upon past experience any group hosting an event off campus should hire an individual to work security to assist with event management even if not required by the owner/operator of the location.
• Transportation to and from the event should be carefully planned. Those attending should not operate a vehicle after they have been drinking. The use of designated sober drivers for the event can assist with this issue. In addition, many groups have decided to hire a bus to transport attendees to and from the event.
• When transportation is hired they will likely place restrictions upon who may use the transportation. Typically, alcohol will not be allowed to be present or consumed on the vehicle. As a result, making sure that no individual violates this regulation will be part of the sponsor’s role. For this circumstance, hiring a security officer to assist with this issue may be of assistance.
• When off campus it is important to remember that the “Good Sam” policies do not apply to local law enforcement agencies. If a person needs assistance the sponsor should not hesitate to call 911 for medical assistance. The important issue is the individual’s health and well-being.
• Alerting a cab company that individuals may require rides at times during the evening may be helpful. Not all guests may want to stay for the entire event.
Safety & Security Role
• The Department of Safety and Security is available to assist sponsors with any situations that might arise. They can assist with “Good Sam” calls, disruptive behavior, emergency issues and as a resource in planning the event.
• During any Category One or Two event, sponsors should expect that Safety and Security Officers will visit the event.
• During that visit the Officers will:
• Announce their arrival at the entry point and expect one of the monitors working the door to escort them into the facility.
• They will check the following:
• The presence of monitors at the entry point
• Attendance in the facility for possible over-crowding
• Life safety concerns such as blocked exits
• The method used for identifying those of age to consume alcohol
• The alcohol service area to ensure that alcohol is being served to one individual at a time, kegs are properly tagged if applicable, and that there are a sufficient number of servers working
• That sufficient quantities of food and non-alcoholic beverage are present
• That only those of age are being served
• To provide assistance to any individual who may appear to be visibly intoxicated and in need of medical care.
• To check the perimeter of the location.
• If during the visit the Officers determine the event is not being run properly the Officers may shut down the event for the safety of the guests.
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